Overview of Course

Art is a language and a way of making sense of the world. Art 100 is a holistic introductory course which seeks to explore art’s commonalities with related disciplines and connect to other learning opportunities while on ship and in port. Our voyage is the perfect backdrop as a path to observe, understand, and discuss the art, visual culture, and material culture we will encounter. In this course we will examine how art is influenced by belief systems both historical and contemporary. Students will use the elements and principles of design to analyze and compare many artforms and define fundamental visual concepts. What is an icon? What gives an art form value? Who decides? What art will we encounter in the everyday lives of others? Interactive group discussions, activities and reading reflections will encourage a lively class experience. As we discover major artistic themes in ports of call (each student will keep a running journal/sketchbook/camera summary) we will link this to our core course curriculum to help us better understand how art as a universal language can be expressed by diverse peoples and cultures.